Newsletter Volume 3 • Number 46
An act ‘totally contrary to the voices of this community’
Despite an unprecedented show of support for our public schools from across the political spectrum, Republican members of the Board of Estimate and Taxation (BET) have refused to reconsider slashing $4 million from the schools budget, overriding pleas from nearly every major local body and official, including:
- The bipartisan Board of Education (BOE)
- A decree from the 230-member Representative Town Meeting
- Over 2,200 petition signatures and 1,200 emails
- Even Republican First Selectman Fred Camillo
…all urged funding the schools.
But when it came time to act, the Republican BET majority stood alone, wielding a procedural quirk that hands them a tiebreaking vote on the 12-member board. Republican BET Chair Harry Fisher used it to push the cuts through like a coup de grace.
“It’s a horrible idea,” said BET Democrat David Weisbrod. “Totally contrary to the voices of this community.”
Rude awakening (pun intended) likely in the fall
School officials must now identify savings, which may include reducing bus transport costs by forcing kids to wake up earlier. The district is weighing a return to a 7:30 a.m. start time at Greenwich High School (GHS), reversing an evidence-based policy change made in 2017, adopted after long deliberation by the community and experts.
“It’s painful,” said BOE Chair Karen Hirsh. “Something we are all dreading.” Superintendent Toni Jones was more direct: “If this decision is made [to change start times], it’s not really about our input and what we think is best. It’s about the financial situation we’ve been put in.”
Also under consideration, program savings that mostly involve firing teachers and administrative staff:
- Reducing the Advanced Learning Program (ALP)
- Trimming elementary foreign language instruction
- Decreasing P.E. hours
- Requiring students to ‘pay to play’ high school sports
- Foregoing curriculum updates and restructuring the long-used cohorting teams at Central Middle School and GHS
No determinations have been made, but the school board is under a time crunch as teacher contract decisions are fast approaching. The next BOE meeting is scheduled for today, May 8, at 7:00 p.m.
Time for new leadership
Democrats support academic excellence, hiring the best teacher for the job, tailoring school hours to what’s best for student health and educational outcomes, and treating educators with the respect they deserve. Keep in mind this year’s budget will be used by the BET Republicans as a blueprint for next year. The cuts will not stop if Republicans continue to control the board.
Elections have consequences. Had 430 more people come out to vote for the Democratic BET slate in the 2023 town election, none of this would be happening. You can donate now to campaign efforts and help Democrats win the BET chairmanship this year.
“The agony of this struggle points to one thing,” BET Democrat David Weisbrod affirmed, “That this community needs new leadership.” This November, you have an opportunity to vote for BET Democrats who care about the future for our kids, our schools, and our town.
What we’re reading
It’s a tale of errors and arrogance
BET Democrats recount how their Republican counterparts inflicted a $4 million cut on local schools.“Months of deliberations, reports, reviews and analysis from the BOE and town experts were totally ignored. In the end, the doctrinaire imposition of predetermined political objectives, combined with a failure to listen to the voices of our community has resulted in a devastating cutback to our children’s education, and constitutes a failure to provide even minimally appropriate financial stewardship.” Read their editorial here.
Democrats push back as Trump dismantles gun safety measures
You may have missed the Trump attacks on gun safety in the chaotic fog that is Trump 2.0. But Democrats in Washington and Hartford have our back.
In its first month the Trump administration dismantled the White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention. Recently it gutted key reforms aimed at curbing gun violence, slashing $1 billion from mental health grants for schools funded by the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act.
Now, Democrats are drawing a hard line. Senators Chris Murphy and Richard Blumenthal, along with 39 colleagues, introduced legislation to reinstate the federal assault weapons ban. The evidence is stark: mass shooting deaths dropped 37% while the ban was in place, and rose 183% after it lapsed. “Assault weapons have only one purpose—to slaughter human beings,” Blumenthal said. “No self-respecting hunter uses one.”
Connecticut lawmakers aren’t waiting for Washington.Last week, the state House passed a bill empowering victims of gun violence to sue firearm manufacturers for their marketing tactics—tactics that often target young, insecure men with fantasies of power and aggression. One ad campaign for assault rifles promises an answer to “a world of rapidly depleting testosterone.”
All three members of the Greenwich House delegation, Reps. Hector Arzeno, Steve Meskers, and Tina Courpas, voted in favor. The bill now moves to the state Senate.
The message from Democratic leaders is clear: if Trump and his allies are willing to abandon children’s safety for gun industry profits, they’re in for a fight.
Action Calendar
May 21. Gather.
Join our monthly Greenwich Democrats meeting with special guest speaker, journalist and New York Times opinion writer, Josh Barro. 7:30 p.m., Greenwich Town Hall, 101 Field Point Road.
May 22. Learn.
Hear from Secretary of State Stephanie Thomas about how voting rights are being protected in CT. 6:30 p.m., YWCA, 259 E. Putnam Ave., RSVP here.
May 26. March.
Memorial Day Parade in Old Greenwich, May 26, 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. March in one of our favorite events of the year! Join us under the Greenwich Democrats banner to pay tribute to the brave men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice to preserve our freedoms.
| Volume 3, Number 46 • May 8, 2025 |
| Paid for by the Greenwich Democratic Town Committee. |
| Greenwich Democratic Town Committee P.O. Box 126 Greenwich, CT 06836 |